FILED SENATE
Apr 5, 2021
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
S.B. 554
SESSION 2021 PRINCIPAL CLERK
S D
SENATE BILL DRS15223-MH-94
Short Title: Encour. Affordble Housing/Shipping Containers. (Public)
Sponsors: Senators Ballard, Britt, and Lee (Primary Sponsors).
Referred to:
1 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
2 AN ACT TO PROMOTE AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN NORTH CAROLINA BY
3 ENCOURAGING THE CONVERSION OF SHIPPING CONTAINERS TO HOUSING
4 UNITS.
5 The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
6 SECTION 1. G.S. 143-139.1 reads as rewritten:
7 "§ 143-139.1. Certification of manufactured buildings, structures or components by
8 recognized independent testing laboratory; minimum standards for
9 single-family, on-frame modular homes.
10 (a) Certification. – The State Building Code may provide, in circumstances deemed
11 appropriate by the Building Code Council, for testing, evaluation, inspection, and certification of
12 buildings, structures or components manufactured off the site on which they are to be erected, by
13 a recognized independent testing laboratory having follow-up inspection services approved by
14 the Building Code Council. Approval of such buildings, structures or components shall be
15 evidenced by labels or seals acceptable to the Council. All building units, structures or
16 components bearing such labels or seals shall be deemed to meet the requirements of the State
17 Building Code and this Article without further inspection or payment of fees, except as may be
18 required for the enforcement of the Code relative to the connection of units and components and
19 enforcement of local ordinances governing zoning, utility connections, and foundations permits.
20 The Building Code Council shall adopt and may amend from time to time such reasonable and
21 appropriate rules and regulations as it deems necessary for approval of agencies offering such
22 testing, evaluation, inspection, and certification services and for overseeing their operations.
23 Such rules and regulations shall include provisions to insure that such agencies are independent
24 and free of any potential conflicts of interest which might influence their judgment in exercising
25 their functions under the Code. Such rules and regulations may include a schedule of reasonable
26 fees to cover administrative expenses in approving and overseeing operations of such agencies
27 and may require the posting of a bond or other security satisfactory to the Council guaranteeing
28 faithful performance of duties under the Code.
29 The Building Code Council may also adopt rules to insure that any person that is not licensed,
30 in accordance with G.S. 87-1, and that undertakes to erect a North Carolina labeled manufactured
31 modular building, meets the manufacturer's installation instructions and applicable provisions of
32 the State Building Code. Any such person, before securing a permit to erect a modular building,
33 shall provide the code enforcement official proof that he has in force for each modular building
34 to be erected a $5,000 surety bond insuring compliance with the regulations of the State Building
35 Code governing installation of modular buildings.
*DRS15223-MH-94*
 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2021
1 (b) Minimum Standards for Single-Family, On-Frame Modular Homes. – To qualify for
2 a label or seal under subsection (a) of this section, a single-family single-family, on-frame
3 modular home must meet or exceed the following construction and design standards:
4 (1) Roof pitch. – For homes with a single predominant roofline, the pitch of the
5 roof shall be no less than five feet rise for every 12 feet of run.
6 (2) Eave projection. – The eave projections of the roof shall be no less than 10
7 inches, which may not include a gutter around the perimeter of the home,
8 unless the roof pitch is 8/12 or greater.
9 (3) Exterior wall. – The minimum height of the exterior wall shall be at least seven
10 feet six inches for the first story.
11 (4) Siding and roofing materials. – The materials and texture for the exterior
12 materials shall be compatible in composition, appearance, and durability to
13 the exterior materials commonly used in standard residential construction.
14 (5) Foundations. – The home shall be designed to require foundation supports
15 around the perimeter. The supports may be in the form of piers, pier and
16 curtain wall, piling foundations, a perimeter wall, or other approved perimeter
17 supports."
18 SECTION 2. This act is effective when it becomes law.
Page 2 DRS15223-MH-94


Statutes affected:
Filed: 143-139.1
Edition 1: 143-139.1